The present invention relates to a reel for a metallic filament such as wire, rod, stripe or the like thereon.
FIGS. 1 to 3 show a typical prior-art metallic-filament take-up reel. In the Figures, the reference numeral 1 denotes a metallic filament 1 such as steel wire, steel cord or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the reel consists of a cylindrical drum 2 on which the metallic filament 1 is wound and a pair of disk-like flanges 3 provided at opposite axial ends of the drum 2 to hold, between the opposite inner surfaces thereof, the metallic filament 1 wound on the drum 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer circumference of each flange 3 is formed, by rounding it outwardly, into an annular tubular reinforcement 31. Also, the right flange 3 has provided thereon a means 100 of retaining the end portion 11 of the metallic filament 1 wound on the drum 2. The filament retaining means 100 consists of an elongated hole 101 formed in the flange 3 along the reinforcement 31 thereof and a generally "U"-shaped catcher 102 provided on the outer surface of the flange 3 in the proximity of the elongated hole 101. The elongated hole 101 is formed to such a size and shape that the end portion 11 of the metallic filament i can be partially pulled out, as bent in a nearly "U" shape, from inside the inner surface to outside the outer surface of the flange 3. FIG. 3 shows the end portion 11 of the metallic filament 1 partially pulled outside the flange 3 and caught by the catcher 102. The catcher 102 has a resilience to force the central apex thereof to the outer surface of the flange 3 as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the metallic filament 1 is securely retained at a part of the end portion 11 thereof caught between the outer surface of the flange 3 and the catcher 102. The end portion 11 of the metallic filament 1, as stated herein, refers to a portion extending from the extremity of the metallic filament 1 and having a length nearly equal to the radius of the flange 3.
The retaining means 100 of the prior-art metallic-filament take-up reel shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, requires that the end portion 11 of the metallic filament 1 be partially pulled out, from inside the inner surface, through the elongated hole 101, to outside the outer surface of the flange 3. The task of pulling out the metallic filament 1 is difficult to automate and must be done by hand, which causes work efficiency to be low and require excess labor in the metallic-filament retaining process. Further, the end portion 11 of the metallic filament 1 is only retained by the resilience of the U-shaped catcher 102 toward the outer surface of the flange 3 by the parallel arms of the U-shape catcher 102. Therefore, if the force which tends to unwind the metallic filament 1 wound on the drum 2 is greater than the resilience of the catcher 102, the wound metallic filament 1 is likely to be loosened and may possibly be released from the catcher 102.